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Seth Trachtman

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Hot Hitter Rundown

The cliché that the standard fantasy baseball season is a marathon and not a sprint is certainly true, but keeping an eye on the hottest players in the game is still extremely important when making start/bench decisions, making pickups and getting fair value in trades. It has become even more important recently with the popularity of daily games such as FanDuel growing.

It should be noted that short-term production in MLB involves a limited sample size, and should be analyzed and scrutinized for its level of significance, or lack thereof, very closely. With these factors in mind, the following is a rundown of the hottest hitters over the last seven days according to Rotoworld’s Player Rater.

Mention of players on these lists is a statement of fact that they are playing well for fantasy owners recently, but not necessarily a long-term endorsement of ownership in fantasy leagues, unless otherwise noted.

Player Rater numbers and review cover games for the week of 7/21-7/27. Given the short week of games, players not listed in the top 10 weekly ranks are also mentioned in the notes below.

Jonathan Lucroy lived up to his ranking as the top fantasy catcher, smacking three homers last week. Lucroy’s overall pace is pedestrian for what we would normally think of from the top catcher in fantasy baseball, but his owners are still getting their money’s worth with Lucroy on pace to match last year’s career-high home run total while also hitting above .300 for the second time in three seasons … Bad teams are able to give minor league veterans like Rene Rivera more opportunity, and he’s really delivered in the power department as Yasmani Grandal’s backup. Rivera made his major league debut 10 years ago with Seattle, but this season is the most at-bats he has seen in the majors. He has eight homers this season, though it should be noted that Rivera only has two seasons of double-digit homers in the minors … It’s been another frustrating season for Tyler Flowers owners, as the former top prospect has mostly struggled at the plate after getting off to a hot start. He does have four multi-hit games since the break, so maybe Flowers can get on another sprint down the stretch to become a viable second catcher in mixed leagues … It’s odd that we would see two catchers from the same team making the list, but that’s the case last week with Yankees Francisco Cervelli and Brian McCann. Cervelli is quietly on an eight-game hitting streak, seeing playing time behind the plate while McCann mans first base with Mark Teixeira sidelined. With Teixeira making his way back, it’s probably too late to consider Cervelli as a fill-in.

Carlos Santana, listed at first base in the Rotoworld Player Rater, had a truly epic week. He ended up hitting .556-6-10 with eight runs and one stolen base, to boot. Santana drew the ire of many fantasy owners after a terrible April, but he’s been his normal self since then. His batting average has increased 25 points since the All-Star break, carrying a 1.480 OPS over that time … It’s sure looking like the Mets made the right choice keeping Duda over Ike Davis. Duda has quietly been a top 10 first baseman, hitting four homers last week. He’s nearing a 30 home run and 90 RBI pace, which should make him far more than an afterthought going into next season. Davis hit two homers last week, but he only has seven for the year … The streaky Mark Reynolds is also notable when he gets hot. He slammed three homers last week, and added one more long ball on Monday. While his batting average has been hovering around the Mendoza Line for much of the season, Reynolds is worthwhile right now … Ryan Howard must have heard the trade rumors last week, as he hit .368-1-4 with four runs scored. Howard’s real-life stats are terrible for his position, but fantasy owners are seeing a pace near 100 RBI again. It should be noted that Howard is a candidate to be traded after July 31, given his monumental contract that is almost guaranteed to pass through waivers … David Ortiz isn’t on the above list because of his DH status, though he is eligible at first base in some leagues such as Yahoo! It’s appropriate to mention Big Papi’s five homers and 12 RBI last week, putting him on pace for his best home run and RBI season since 2006.

Jose Altuve is tops again. He’s fallen to second overall behind Mike Trout, but Altuve’s batting average continues to hold steadily above .340. He hit .464 last week with one homer and one steal. His steals have slowed a bit, with only one stolen base since the break … Like most of his teammates, Aaron Hill is having a forgettable year. Last week was bright with a .421 batting average, helping his batting average get closer to his career .272 mark. Hill is on pace to reach 100 strikeouts for only the second time in his career, but hopefully he will still be useful for fantasy owners down the stretch … It would be a stretch to say Eric Sogard made the most of his playing time with Alberto Callaspo sidelined, but he did have a good week with a .313 batting average and one steal. Sogard goes back to the bench with Callaspo’s weekend activation … Danny Espinosa has been the main beneficiary of Ryan Zimmerman’s hamstring injury, back as a regular for the Nats. He hit .286 with one steal last week, but is hitting just .215 with 100 strikeouts in 270 at-bats. No one should be surprised if Washington addresses Zimmerman’s absence this week and pushes Espinosa back to the bench … We’ve had a Rickie Weeks sighting with Scooter Gennett nursing a quad injury. Weeks hit .316 with one steal last week. He remains buried behind Gennett when the youngster is healthy, and there is no reason to think that will change with the Brewers charging toward the playoffs.

It’s not rocket science to conclude that a full week of home games is good for Rockies hitters, as was the case with Arenado last week. Arenado hit .236-3-9 with eight runs scored, putting him on pace to shatter his 10 home run total from his rookie season … It’s probably no coincidence that Danny Valencia was traded by the Royals on Monday, given Mike Moustakas’ big week. The enigmatic Moustakas is still hitting just .195 for the season, but his stats are improving after hitting .280-3-4 last week. The power streak could make him worth a flier in mixed leagues, and he will certainly play regularly the rest of the way under any circumstance … Martin Prado has been a big disappointment this season, but his batting average is rising after hitting .409 last week. Still, he has some work to do to match his first season in Arizona, when he had 14 homers and 82 RBI … Luis Valbuena is still hitting just enough to garner semi-regular playing time for the Cubs, and he launched two of his seven homers last week. As Chicago continues its youth movement down the stretch, Valbuena’s playing time is somewhat threatened … Yangervis Solarte was traded for Chase Headley last week, and it’s worth noting that Solarte has actually been a more valuable fantasy commodity than Headley this season. Of course, the move from Yankee Stadium to PETCO Park is extremely negative for Solarte’s value, not to mention San Diego’s anemic lineup surrounding him. However, Solarte should remain in the lineup as the Padres look at him as a potential regular for 2015, and he’s off to a nice start in San Diego with three multi-hit games and a five-game RBI streak.

The cliché that the standard fantasy baseball season is a marathon and not a sprint is certainly true, but keeping an eye on the hottest players in the game is still extremely important when making start/bench decisions, making pickups and getting fair value in trades. It has become even more important recently with the popularity of daily games such as FanDuel growing.

It should be noted that short-term production in MLB involves a limited sample size, and should be analyzed and scrutinized for its level of significance, or lack thereof, very closely. With these factors in mind, the following is a rundown of the hottest hitters over the last seven days according to Rotoworld’s Player Rater.

Mention of players on these lists is a statement of fact that they are playing well for fantasy owners recently, but not necessarily a long-term endorsement of ownership in fantasy leagues, unless otherwise noted.

Player Rater numbers and review cover games for the week of 7/21-7/27. Given the short week of games, players not listed in the top 10 weekly ranks are also mentioned in the notes below.

Jonathan Lucroy lived up to his ranking as the top fantasy catcher, smacking three homers last week. Lucroy’s overall pace is pedestrian for what we would normally think of from the top catcher in fantasy baseball, but his owners are still getting their money’s worth with Lucroy on pace to match last year’s career-high home run total while also hitting above .300 for the second time in three seasons … Bad teams are able to give minor league veterans like Rene Rivera more opportunity, and he’s really delivered in the power department as Yasmani Grandal’s backup. Rivera made his major league debut 10 years ago with Seattle, but this season is the most at-bats he has seen in the majors. He has eight homers this season, though it should be noted that Rivera only has two seasons of double-digit homers in the minors … It’s been another frustrating season for Tyler Flowers owners, as the former top prospect has mostly struggled at the plate after getting off to a hot start. He does have four multi-hit games since the break, so maybe Flowers can get on another sprint down the stretch to become a viable second catcher in mixed leagues … It’s odd that we would see two catchers from the same team making the list, but that’s the case last week with Yankees Francisco Cervelli and Brian McCann. Cervelli is quietly on an eight-game hitting streak, seeing playing time behind the plate while McCann mans first base with Mark Teixeira sidelined. With Teixeira making his way back, it’s probably too late to consider Cervelli as a fill-in.

Carlos Santana, listed at first base in the Rotoworld Player Rater, had a truly epic week. He ended up hitting .556-6-10 with eight runs and one stolen base, to boot. Santana drew the ire of many fantasy owners after a terrible April, but he’s been his normal self since then. His batting average has increased 25 points since the All-Star break, carrying a 1.480 OPS over that time … It’s sure looking like the Mets made the right choice keeping Duda over Ike Davis. Duda has quietly been a top 10 first baseman, hitting four homers last week. He’s nearing a 30 home run and 90 RBI pace, which should make him far more than an afterthought going into next season. Davis hit two homers last week, but he only has seven for the year … The streaky Mark Reynolds is also notable when he gets hot. He slammed three homers last week, and added one more long ball on Monday. While his batting average has been hovering around the Mendoza Line for much of the season, Reynolds is worthwhile right now … Ryan Howard must have heard the trade rumors last week, as he hit .368-1-4 with four runs scored. Howard’s real-life stats are terrible for his position, but fantasy owners are seeing a pace near 100 RBI again. It should be noted that Howard is a candidate to be traded after July 31, given his monumental contract that is almost guaranteed to pass through waivers … David Ortiz isn’t on the above list because of his DH status, though he is eligible at first base in some leagues such as Yahoo! It’s appropriate to mention Big Papi’s five homers and 12 RBI last week, putting him on pace for his best home run and RBI season since 2006.

Jose Altuve is tops again. He’s fallen to second overall behind Mike Trout, but Altuve’s batting average continues to hold steadily above .340. He hit .464 last week with one homer and one steal. His steals have slowed a bit, with only one stolen base since the break … Like most of his teammates, Aaron Hill is having a forgettable year. Last week was bright with a .421 batting average, helping his batting average get closer to his career .272 mark. Hill is on pace to reach 100 strikeouts for only the second time in his career, but hopefully he will still be useful for fantasy owners down the stretch … It would be a stretch to say Eric Sogard made the most of his playing time with Alberto Callaspo sidelined, but he did have a good week with a .313 batting average and one steal. Sogard goes back to the bench with Callaspo’s weekend activation … Danny Espinosa has been the main beneficiary of Ryan Zimmerman’s hamstring injury, back as a regular for the Nats. He hit .286 with one steal last week, but is hitting just .215 with 100 strikeouts in 270 at-bats. No one should be surprised if Washington addresses Zimmerman’s absence this week and pushes Espinosa back to the bench … We’ve had a Rickie Weeks sighting with Scooter Gennett nursing a quad injury. Weeks hit .316 with one steal last week. He remains buried behind Gennett when the youngster is healthy, and there is no reason to think that will change with the Brewers charging toward the playoffs.

It’s not rocket science to conclude that a full week of home games is good for Rockies hitters, as was the case with Arenado last week. Arenado hit .236-3-9 with eight runs scored, putting him on pace to shatter his 10 home run total from his rookie season … It’s probably no coincidence that Danny Valencia was traded by the Royals on Monday, given Mike Moustakas’ big week. The enigmatic Moustakas is still hitting just .195 for the season, but his stats are improving after hitting .280-3-4 last week. The power streak could make him worth a flier in mixed leagues, and he will certainly play regularly the rest of the way under any circumstance … Martin Prado has been a big disappointment this season, but his batting average is rising after hitting .409 last week. Still, he has some work to do to match his first season in Arizona, when he had 14 homers and 82 RBI … Luis Valbuena is still hitting just enough to garner semi-regular playing time for the Cubs, and he launched two of his seven homers last week. As Chicago continues its youth movement down the stretch, Valbuena’s playing time is somewhat threatened … Yangervis Solarte was traded for Chase Headley last week, and it’s worth noting that Solarte has actually been a more valuable fantasy commodity than Headley this season. Of course, the move from Yankee Stadium to PETCO Park is extremely negative for Solarte’s value, not to mention San Diego’s anemic lineup surrounding him. However, Solarte should remain in the lineup as the Padres look at him as a potential regular for 2015, and he’s off to a nice start in San Diego with three multi-hit games and a five-game RBI streak.

After a blazing April, Alexei Ramirez has certainly cooled but remains an elite shortstop. He hit .321-2-5 with five runs and a pair of steals last week, and is well on his way to a career year for fantasy owners going on age 33 … Josh Rutledge was mentioned last week as a player to watch with Troy Tulowitzki sidelined, and he came through big with a full week of games at Coors Field. Rutledge hit .357-0-7 with four runs scored for the Rockies while mostly batting second in the order. Hitting above .300 with a fine minor league track record, Rutledge should be picked up if he’s still available in mixed leagues … Stephen Drew is a candidate to be on the move this week with his bat finally starting to wake up. He hit just .190 last week, but Drew did hit a pair of homers and six RBI. Boston has incentive to trade him with Will Middlebrooks just about ready to return from the DL … Adeiny Hechavarria’s .644 OPS this season is actually progress over last year, and he had a fine week by hitting .308 with two steals. The Cuban is proving again that he shouldn’t be considered the long-term answer for the Marlins, but NL-only owners should be accepting of his current .275 batting average … Didi Gregorius makes the list due to one big game on Wednesday. His playing time has otherwise been sporadic, and he’s clearly not a threat to Chris Owings if and when the youngster returns from the DL this season.

Jose Bautista had a huge week when the weary Blue Jays needed it most, hitting .375-3-7 with seven runs and one steal. He continues to consistently produce during his best season since 2011, on pace for 100 walks and staying on the field to this point despite the bevy of injuries around him … Yoenis Cespedes’ batting average is nowhere near what we saw in his rookie season in 2012, but his power continues to thrive. Cespedes has been hot after winning his second consecutive Home Run Derby, as he had three homers and nine RBI last week … Travis Snider made the list despite only starting two games last week, as he went 5-for-9 with two homers. With sporadic playing time, Snider still has no fantasy value … Anthony Gose has the same issues as Snider finding playing time, though he did find the field more regularly last week and swiped five bases. Gose’s bat hasn’t played up to major league standards, but his speed is more than adequate for AL-only owners when he’s in the lineup … Matt Holliday is on the list for the second straight week, adding to his reputation as a second half player. He would have been ranked much higher after hitting three homers last week, but they were all solo shots and he didn’t have any more RBI the rest of the week … Josh Harrison has picked up regular playing time again with Starling Marte on the concussion DL. Most of his production occurred Saturday, when he went 4-for-6 with one homer and two steals. Harrison added another homer on Monday, and remains worthwhile in the short term with Marte out … Marte’s teammate, Gregory Polanco, added two home runs of his own last week. The rookie has been a disappointment so far, but he’s still near a 20/20 full-season pace … Corey Dickerson continues to deliver for fantasy owners , and he hit two more homers at Coors Field last week. With a .978 OPS, Dickerson has clearly been Colorado’s best outfielder this season and is more than deserving of regular playing time down the stretch … Gregor Blanco has been quiet this season, but two steals last week put him on the list. With Angel Pagan working his way toward a rehab assignment, Blanco’s days as a regular are numbered … Danny Santana has been hitting again since returning from the DL, and also launched his third homer of the season last week. He’s been useful, with eligibility at shortstop and the outfield, though Santana seems likely to regress with a career .708 OPS in the minors … Listed at DH in the Player Rater, Carlos Beltran is starting to get on track for the Yankees. The veteran hit .292-2-5 last week.